Primed to Kill

"Julie's Saloon is out of town on a lesser road, but it's the most popular among those who live here. Shady Grove is in town, not fancy, but gets a lot of women on Friday night. Probably Shady Grove. Yeah," he said.

Into the office walked Bob, the sheriff's brother. Between the two of them, they could ruin a couch in one sitting. These two guys must have weighed three hundred each. They had the jovial faces that some overweight people get.

"Hi, Bob Jones," said the realtor, smiling and holding out his hand--to Linda. Bob had the talent of immediate prioritization. His eyes were good. Even the obese have hopes when unexpectedly confronted by a beautiful woman.

"Linda Mitchell," she said, shaking his hand.

"Josh Mitchell," Josh said. They shook also, eventually, once Bob let go of Linda.

"So, you are interested in someone interested in buying the lanes?" he said.

"Yeah, just playing a hunch. Probably means nothing," I said. It's usually best to deprecate to avoid getting hopes up or spooking the perp. That's police type talk.

"Some guy came by when I was out of the office, said he'd have the lanes removed, he'd purchased them direct from the owners a few days ago. He left his card with a note he'd have the lanes out by Friday," Bob Jones said. "Owner said he made a good deal on the lanes. He didn't know if Juvenal would be around. He said he'd hired a company to get the lanes out."

"Has anyone touched the card?" Josh asked. There was a chance we could lift a print.

"Actually, yes, my secretary and I have. I have it here," he said. He pulled it out of a folder. Sheriff Jones grabbed a small evidence bag and told his brother to drop it in. I didn't think we'd get much off that card, but maybe.

"That serious?" Bob asked.

"Yeah. The most," Josh replied.

So the group ended up out at the bowling alley. Bob had a key and they went in. Everything had been sold that was not part of the building. The floors usually had to wait when money was up in the air. It was a fairly small dark building that smelled of old cigarettes and beer. Furniture was all gone, sold or trashed. The machines had been sold too, although who would want such out of date equipment? Josh and the sheriff looked around for a while; Linda talked to Bob in that charming way she had. The lanes looked like decent flooring and panelling. They went to Bob's office then, hoping the guy would come by.

Linda talked to Josh when Bob had to leave the room. His secretary was out sick, so he had to handle a lot of mundane tasks.

"Why don't I get dressed appropriately and spend some time at the Shady Grove tonight. Maybe the guy will be trolling. I'll use my middle and maiden name. You can keep an eye on me." Her middle name is Susan, maiden Shaunnesey. Yeah, another beautiful mick.

Josh thought about that. He knew the captain might criticize him for it, but it would be outside his jurisdiction and she would be in little danger with Josh near at hand. He liked it. Maybe the guy would pick her up. The odds were greatly against it, but they did not have a better plan at hand. So at 4 they popped out, stopped in to see the sheriff and let him know the little undercover action at the Grove, and Linda dressed for the night. She wore tight jeans and a tight, sexy top that clung to her breasts. She wore a bra--none of the other girls had been without when last seen. Josh programmed an emergency button into her cell phone, and checked the gps app just in case.

"Under no circumstances are you to leave the building with him! Do you get it??? Do not leave with him. Do not get in a car--make a stand right there! As soon as we get his DNA and/or prints, we have enough. You leave alone, I'll watch him another minute to be sure he doesn't follow, and then I'll be out. Meet at the car. He is probably just going to be casing the joint, trying to find an S name. He may not come over if he finds your name. Do not leave with him! And once he identifies you as Sue, he may not even bother meeting you. He could follow to see where you go or live."

Linda was laughing. "I understand, I get it, I won't leave with him."

Josh spoke to the barkeep about what they were doing. He agreed to help. But nothing happened that night. Linda sat on a stool and fended off suitors. Finally it was 11:40 and they called it quits.

*

Josh and Linda's first appointment with Dr. Carly Raye turned into a marathon session for Linda. For the first hour, Josh was there. She asked why they were seeking counseling. Josh said he had threatened divorce if Linda did not seek help. During the hour Josh explained the affair, Linda's unusual characteristics, and gave examples. Linda said, "He thinks I'm a sociopath." After an hour, the doctor asked him to leave and said that she wanted to talk with Linda a bit longer. Two and a half hours later, she called him in.

Dr. Raye: "Linda has agreed that I may tell you everything that we talked about in this session. I may tell you my conclusions and ideas as to her personality and character and her mental health. I am a psychiatrist. That means I may prescribe medicine to help with her treatment."

She looked directly at Josh. Linda was looking down. "In my opinion, your wife is not a sociopath. Her condition has a lengthy name which comes down to this: she has a conscience, but it is subsumed. She knows right from wrong, but she has suffered such great damage to her emotional center that she feels anything good for her is due because of past suffering. She is capable of love, but she uses defense mechanisms to control it--like not seeming to feel guilt about the affair, not caring if her lover is hurt, that sort of thing.

She does feel, and sooner or later she will likely feel the depths of the pain she has caused you and him and herself. She may start crying someday for no reason, realizing the lives she has wounded and feeling the pain, and it could go on as if the thing just happened. That is not a bad thing. That is a turning point. But it may occur differently, subtly, or not at all."

The doctor paused. Josh said, "She is very smart, Doctor. Are you sure she's not playing you? She thinks she's the smartest in the room, no matter who is there."

The doctor smiled. "Fortunately, I'm used to not being the smartest in the room. No, I don't think she's playing me. Or you. She actually loves you, but it hurts sometimes. It is subsumed then."

The doctor thought for a moment. "Oh, forthrightness is often a characteristic. It was very easy talking with her. She willingly divulges information to someone she trusts, and there is no inhibition speaking with me, that I could see, anyway."

"Can she love children? I told you about the miscarriage."

"Oh, yes. She could, once we get it to emerge some. There are cases where they actually emerged because of the birth of the child. We can treat this condition. Group and individual therapy help a lot. There are a number of drugs that can help. This is similar to schizophrenia in some ways, an emotional dichotomy. Some of the same drugs work to give a person a completely normal outlook. But it is chronic--it can diminish, and over time her real emotion can dominate, but there will be some interesting moments along the way."

"Was I way off thinking this is caused by a double bind? Probably Mom leaving and Dad being unable to replace her nurturing."

"No, that was spot on, probably, coupled with some things before her mother left. And if she wants to tell you, there is a lot more to that that she has kept from everyone."

Linda spoke. "I do not want a divorce, Josh. I knew the affair was wrong."

Doctor Carly said, "You left something out, Linda." Linda looked as if she didn't remember.

"Oh. The denigrations--putting you down, thinking less of you--I am sorry for that too."

Doctor Carly said, "Part of this goes hand in hand with any affair. The husband's an idiot, that sort of thing. It's all part of guilt. That's actually a good sign for your wife--it shows she has a conscience."

"Yeah, I've seen a lot of that in domestic disputes," Josh said.

Dr. Carly: "You should know, Josh, that the marriage is important to her. She has an inevitability in her outlook: she expected it to fail, and this may have been part of her manipulation to make it so. She sees people she can manipulate--you by getting your love, tricking you into marriage in some convoluted reasoning she has, the lover, others.."

"I married her because I loved her. There was no trick."

"She knows she's smart, and that other people are not as." Dr. Carly smiled. "Losing you would be difficult for her, but she expects it. She does not want it, but her emotional controls subsume it."

"So she loves me lots but she hides it, huh? Because she expects it to hurt her? By me leaving? So she makes it happen. Her worst fear." Josh considered. "If we divorce, would she get worse?"

"Probably a setback, but not much worse in the long run. She really expects it sometime. It's up to you, Josh. Do you want to stay married to her? Did she ruin it already? Can you overcome those images and fears in your mind?" Raye looked directly at him. She knew how a man in love can obsess about his wife's affair. And obsess forever.

"Have you treated many with this condition, Doctor?"

"This combination of symptoms is probably a once in a lifetime case for most of us, except in a clinic or mental hospital."

Josh said, "Perhaps you can write a paper on her treatment." It was spoken wryly.

"Cynicism is not becoming," the doctor laughed, "and I'm considering it. I'd need everyone's consent, so you needn't worry. You'd have time to consider, and you could refuse."

*

It was on the fourth trip to the Shady Grove that they found their man. It was the first week of July.

The flooring was removed in a day at the alley, and carted to the next place. Juvenal was paid without even showing up at the alley or realtor.

Linda, calling herself Sue, was sexy. She had too much eye makeup, like women seemed to wear to bars when they are still seeking men. They parked down the street, near the sheriff's station actually, and walked then separately to the bar. She went in a minute before he. He saw her at the bar, alone for a minute, but then men seem to find her. This bartender was unknown to them, so he went to the guy and asked to see him in private. Josh told him he was a cop, and they went into the back for a minute. He explained what he wanted, how he would signal, and he agreed. Josh went back out, saw Linda and looked back at the bartender, who nodded. Then Josh went to a booth. There was a crowd at 7:20, but not every booth or table was occupied. Linda had company and a Virgin Mary. Josh had told her not to drink if she could help it.

The first guy to come up was not their man. He was blonde, very tall, and probably married or recently divorced--his ring finger had no ring but a white band of skin around it. She talked to him a minute and then probably insulted him--he looked at her as if shocked and went away. She did this another two or three times when the suspect arrived. Right height, glasses, right side part in his brown hair. He was wearing a sport coat and an open collar shirt. Josh couldn't tell if he had on black gym shoes. He did not sit next to Linda, nor did he approach. He sat two stools away.

He did order a drink. And he sipped at it for about 20 minutes, watching the ballgame on the big screen behind the bar, and watching Linda whenever someone went by to hit on her. I was twenty feet away, and my pistol was accessible if needed. I could hear Linda when a guy came up to her then.

"Hi, I'm James Render," the new guy said. He was average height, no glasses, light brown hair, wearing blue jeans and a striped pullover shirt.

"Sue Shaunnesey. Nice to meet you." She shook hands with the guy. He seemed likeable enough, and no threat, so Sue engaged him in a conversation about the better sport: soccer, baseball, basketball or football. She ordered another drink, also a virgin, and laughed sexily looking at her new friend. He started getting a little fresh--putting his hand on her bare arm, moving a little closer--but she looked at it and made some joke about not too forward and he removed it, only occasionally touching her after. Our guy seemed genuinely interested in the game above, but I thought he was listening in.

He ordered another drink. His first glass remained at his spot. The bartender looked at him, Josh touched his ear, and the bartender brought the man another drink. He took away his empty glass. He poured a tonic water for me, came over to my booth, and handed me the tonic and the glass. He'd been careful to touch the glass only along the bottom rim. Good man.

Linda looked at Josh. He touched his nose. They had what they needed. A minute later she made apologies to her new friend and left the bar. It was 9:07. Josh watched the guy. Linda should have been safe by now. The guy was on the cell phone a moment, put money on the bar, and followed Linda out perhaps two minutes behind. Josh followed him, his glass in a bag.

No one had considered that the guy might have an accomplice.

*

When Josh got outside, he saw no sign of either of them. He was two minutes behind Linda, and 20 seconds behind Juvenal. He ran to his car. He checked the gps program in LInda's phone, and it was functioning. He followed, racing, went through a red light in the middle of town, headed toward the signal. Where were they going? Had Juvenal found Linda outside, thrown her in a car? No, there was no time. No time for anything but hopping in a car and heading out.

They did not know Linda had an accomplice, either. They ignored the gps on the phone, at least until Josh had them in sight. They were on a divided highway--it looked like a Mustang to him, but it was dark. He saw it for a half mile before he caught it. The gps stopped suddenly, so either they tossed it out the window and it broke or they removed the battery. But he had them in sight, and he was doing something he knew how to do. He used his cell phone to notify the police, but just as he did the car pulled into a parking lot by a McDonald's. It then carefully went over the back curb of the lot and onto a dirt track that went into scrub trees.

He saw their lights then down the road, and they parked by a very small house. He abandoned his car in the lot and ran, talking into his cell phone trying to get Terry Jones and any other cop to this place. It was perhaps a quarter mile, and he made it finally (thinking he needed to start jogging more). The car was there, dark. He heard them inside the building. They had lights on. They'd been in there maybe 12 minutes now.

He went to a window and peeked. Linda was not in the kitchen. There was a woman--she looked about 60. Juvenal's mother, perhaps. She was wearing latex gloves. She left the kitchen while he watched, and Josh tried the door. It was unlocked. He slowly opened it, let himself in, and closed it. He heard heavy treading coming toward him, so he hid behind the refrigerator, and the woman was back. Her back was to him, so he hit her over the head with his pistol. He let her down to the floor gently. He hoped he had not killed her--he'd never pistol whipped someone before. She was breathing. He pulled out his cuffs and hooked her hand to a cabinet. He hoped she'd not wake. He did not need her warning Juvenal.

Down the hall he found Juvenal with Linda. She was naked, spread eagle on the bed. Josh could not help the thought that she was magnificent nude, even in this evil circumstance. Her hands reached the corners of the headboard and were duck taped to it. She was awake, but she had a ball gag in her mouth. Her legs were tied with rope at the ankle with her knees up, attached to the headboard also. Juvenal was varying his technique yet again. Linda's appealing cunt was exposed for use, lips and hair and clit, and Juvenal was talking to her as he prepared a long dowel for insertion. He put oil on it, but it was just a cheap wood dowel with a flat end.

"I love you Sue. I know, I know you want me in you. Look at that cunt of yours! Magnificent! Just magnificent! Are you wet yet?" He reached for her with the dowel in his hand.

Josh shot him in the head at that moment. He'd seen and heard enough. Sue had, too. Sue's eyes were opened wide, startled, and the surprise lingered, and in her fear and anger and wonder she realized Josh was not a lug, not a dolt, not stupid, and not insignificant.

Josh looked down at Juvenal, the mess he'd made of his head, and he felt relief. He turned to his wife. He removed the gag and ripped the tape from her wrists and her arms went immediately around his neck. He hugged her, and he liked feeling the naked skin of her back, but he wanted to remove her before all the cops in this part of the world arrived. The sirens were close.

She was crying, and suddenly the room was swarming with police. Josh grabbed a blanket and put it around them as they hugged. Sheriff Jones was there.

"Well, I sure hope he's the one because he's deader than a doornail now."

Josh said, "We didn't realize he had an accomplice. Sick family."

*

Josh gave a statement that was the whole truth. Did he identify himself? No. Did he ask the perpetrator to surrender? No. Why did you fire? He was about to put a wood dowel up my wife. A week later the prosecutor looked at everything, including the eight rape/murders and positive DNA tests from the deceased, and put it before a group of citizens. The grand jury decided no bill. The prosecutor smiled. Sometimes justice was just.

They indicted the mother on several counts of conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, aiding and abetting, and she eventually was sent away for twenty. But her son was her life, and after his death she was almost catatonic. Some people shouldn't be moms.

*

They were home all the nights until the grand jury decision, and happy not to be anywhere others might show up. Josh was still considering divorce, but how do you divorce a woman with God Only Understands Personality Disorder?

Over the next weeks, sitting before the tv became their evening routine. They would sit together and discuss her most recent sessions with Dr. Carly, or his joining her for a session with the doc, or whether she thought her meds were effective, or a case at his work, or news, or politics. They cuddled again, like in their days of dating. So it was for some time, cuddling, remembering, but for Josh it would never go away. How whole was she? Sometimes when things go really bad, you should call time out. He had images in his mind that were troubling, upsetting sleep and causing irresolution.

He was hesitant to initiate sex after her experience and all they had been through, so she did it one night some weeks after the incident. They sat on the couch and made out like teenagers. She slid his hand up her shirt, to play with her breast. He eventually stood and lifted her shirt, pulling it off then, and she removed her bra. Linda was stunning naked. Josh sucked on her breasts; she held his head to her as if she never wanted him to stop. "Suck my tit, Josh." She stroked his hair as he sucked.

He was content, but eventually she whispered, as if a parent might hear, "I want to suck you, too, Husband." Her toplessness was soon mirrored by his bottomlessness, and her lips were fastened to his stiff dick. She sucked; he rubbed her bare back. He was soon sliding his hands down the back of her shorts, her panties, and squeezing her ass cheeks. He managed to unfasten her shorts and made her remove her mouth from his dick so he could remove her shorts and panties. Finally naked together, he said, "How do you want it?."

She lay back on the couch, legs wide, her sexy muff beckoning, and said, "Put it in me." He lined it up and pushed steadily forward until he was fully in. "Oh my God you are in," she said. He slid into gentle fucking, becoming more forceful.